DANBURY — Officers with the Garner Correctional Institution will host a Tip-A-Cop event to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut at Buffalo Wild Wings on Wednesday, April 15, from 5 to 9 pm. Buffalo Wild Wings is at 26 Backus Avenue.

During the event, officers will assist restaurant staff in taking orders and serving meals to restaurant patrons. At the end of the evening, all tips the officers receive for their efforts will go to Special Olympics Connecticut to support its year-round sports, health, and fitness programs for athletes of all abilities.

Tip-A-Cop is a Law Enforcement Torch Run event to benefit Special Olympics Connecticut. For more information, visit soct.org.

SOCT Law Enforcement Torch Run

The Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) for Special Olympics Connecticut is one of the movement’s largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicles. This year-round program involves law enforcement officers from across the state who volunteer their time to raise awareness and funds through events including Tip-A-Cops, Cop-On-Tops, and Jail N’ Bail.

In addition, each year in June, more than 1,500 officers and athletes carry the Special Olympics “Flame of Hope” through hundreds of cities and towns across the state, covering more then 530 miles over three days. The runners run the “Final Leg” and light the ceremonial cauldron during Opening Ceremonies for the Special Olympics Connecticut Summer Games.

The 2015 Law Enforcement Torch Run is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday, June 3-5. The run will cover over 500 miles and pass through more than 100 of the state’s 169 cities and towns.

As in years past, one leg of the LERT is expected to pass through Newtown. On Friday, June 5, runners are expected to arrive in town around 11:36, coming in along Route 302 from Bethel. Their published route will follow Route 302 to its intersection with Main Street; across Main onto Queen Street; across Queen Street, and then turning right, onto Church Hill Road, and then down Church Hill Road as far as the Blue Colony Diner.

Runners will be transported over I-84 from the diner to the Troop A barracks in Southbury, where they will resume their run, ultimately finishing in New Haven in time for the Summer Games Opening Ceremony that evening.